Sampling machine



2 Sheets-Sheet 2 c. v. SWEARINGEN SAMPLING MACH'INE Original Filed Ju 7; 1941 Oct. 26', 1943,

.Conveniently but not necessarily Patented ca. 26, 1943 UNITED STATS PATENT "i OFFICE Clai" V. Swearingen, Chattanooga, Tenu.

Original 'application July 7, 19411, Serial No. 401396. 'Divide and this application March 26,1942, Serial No. 436337 v 3 Claims. (ci. 73 21) The subject matter of this application is a samplihg machine, divided out of my former ap plication, Serial No. 401396, filed on July 7, 1941.

This invention is adapted to be used' for cel-- lecting samples of liquid, for instance water, throughout any desired period of time, such as twenty-four hours. The operator may desire samples of liquid for fractions of that period, six-hour samples.

The liquid discharged during the fractions of the unit of time-measurement is delivered into ccntainers. The invention aims to provide novel means for presenting the containers, one after another, to a source of liquid supply.

It is within the province of the disclcsure to improve generally and to enhance the utility of devices of that type to which the present inven tion appertains.

With the above and. other objects in View, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the inventicn.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a sampling device embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section thereoi;

Flg. 3 is a section taken lengthwise of one of the troughs;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section through one of the trcughs;

Fig. 5 is a sectcnal elevation showing the motor connection.

In carrying out the invention, there is provided a box-like support I, having a movable closure 2. The support i and the closure 2 are insulated, as shown at 3, to the end that the samples may be kept an even temperature.

A removable frame l is located in the support or cabinet l, and rests on the bottom thereof. The rame i is made up of, ccrner legs 5, a top 8, a sheli 'a', and an intermediate partition 8. certain of the legs 5 are connected by a cross bar 9. The samples of liquid are collected in contai'ers 5%. When the containers m are not in use, they may be stowed on the shelf 1, in the compartment formed by the shelf and the partition 8.

I A vertical shaft !2 is m ounted at !E for rota tion in the top of the support -or cabinet I. A horizontal gear wheel 23 is Secured to the upper end of the shaft !2. The gear wheel 23 meshes with a pinicn 2 on the depending shaft 25 of a motor 25, mountd on the top 6 of the irame Specifically, the motor 26 is of the spring-actuated clock type, so constructed that, for exv ample,` the shait I? will receive one rotation in twenty-four hours. V i:

`The aforesaid. containers !E are carried by a turntable 21, secured at 281110 the lower part of the shait !2. free, and, as 'stated in the arent application No. 401396, it should be noted that the shaft !2 and associated parts are Suspended from the bearing means !5, which is carried by the top` G of the frame 4. There is no lower thrust hearing for the shait .92, a th'rust ,hearing being an undesirable mechanism, which is difiicult to keep in order, a thrust bearingmoreover, causing the shaft |2 to have a limited freedom of totation. .e`

circular rest 25 is Secured to the shaft 42, above the turntable `27, and has circumferentially spaced notches 'or seats 3& in its periphery. Curved troughs or receivers 3! are supplied, and are equipped with handles 32, whereby they may be manipulated readily. The troughs 3! are mounted removably on the rest 29, to the end that they may be detached and kept in a sterile condition. The troughs 3! receive liquid, drop by drop, from a depending nozzle 33. The means for governing the flow of liquid through the nozzle 33 forms no part of the present inventicn and is disclosed in application Serial No. &01,396, to which reference has been made hereinbefore.

The troughs ai are semi-circular. Each trough sl, at one end, is supplied with an upwardly inclined wall 3 At its opposite end, each trough 31 has an end wall 35, which is in the form of an inverted, V-shaped hook, receiving the end wall 34 of the next adjoining trough. Thus, the trcughs 3l are interengaged detachably, and are held in the form of a circle.

Intermediate its ends, each trough 3! is supplied with an inverted, V-shaped divider se. Assuming that it is desired to collect four samples, the trough structure 3! is divided into four receivers, each adapted, in its turn, to receive drip from the nozzle 33, as the shaft l2 and associated parts are rotated. Owing to the inverted V-shape of the dividers 35, and to the inverted V-shape of the parts 34 and 35, the drip from the nozzle 33 into one trough will be terminated abruptly, as to that trough, and will be received imme- The lowerendof the shaft 52 is so arranged on the turntable 21 that each spout The in-. Verted V-shape of the cross members 36 and S'I will discharge into one container.

35-34 produces, as has been stated herenbefore,

a prompt shift of the discharge' from the nozzle 33 into the respective compartmentsrv of the troughs 3 I, and the containers receive samples.

of 'like Volume, assuming that there is no general failure of liquid supply to the nozzle 33,-due to the bursting of. a water main, the closing of a gate valve, or the like. r

' The operation ?of the mechanism hereinbefore described is as follows:

The clock motor 26, the motor shaft 25, the

What is claimed is:

1. A sampling device comprising a rotor mounted to turn about a substantially vertical axis, ample holders carried by the rotor and disposed about said axis, a supply source discharge ing 'material to' be sampled, toward the holders, a rest incorporated in the rotor and provided with openings, troughs removably carried by the rest and provided With terminal, detachably-interengaged parts which hold the troughs in the form of an annulus, about said axis, said parts forme ing end cl-osures for the troughs, the troughs be-' 'inginterposed between the supply source and the holders, each trough having a depending spout which is extended through one of the openings, to

hold the annulus for rotation with the rotor; each spout discharginginto `one holder, and means for' v I rotating the rotor.

pinion 24, and the gear'wheel 23, rotates the shaft !2, the turntable 27, and the rest 29, at a predei termined speed; say one revolution intwentyfour hours,the parts !2-21-29 constituting a rotor. The drip from the nozzlev 33Iis received in the troughs 3 I, and passes by way of the spouts '31 into the containers ID;

The device is simple in Construction, but will be found to be satisfactory and accurate in collecting samples of a liquid,

It may be noted -thatthe nozzle 33 is connected to a supply pipe 39 mounted in the wall of the cabinet I, a coupling 40 'being employed, to connect the parts specified. The coupling 40 maybe manipulated to disconnect the pipe 39 romthe nozzle 33 and the frame 4 may beremoved readily from the box-like support or cabinet I.

2.- Asampling device comprising a frame, a sub-, i

stantially vertical shaft, means for supporting the upper portion of the shaft for rotation, in the upper portion of the frame, the lower'endof the shaft being free, a turntable carried by the lower portion of the -shaft, sample holders removably mounted on the turntable and. disposed aboutthe shaft; a rest carried by the shaft and disposed above the turntable, an annular trough structure renovably mounted on therest and provided with f i compartments having outlets individual to the. holders, a source of supply for material to be sam pled, discharging downwardly into the trough structure, and mechanism mounted on the upper portion of the frame for rotating the shaft.

3. A sampling device constructed as set forth in claim 1, and Wherein the openingsare notches e in the periohery` of the rest, the notches being inclined laterally with respect to radii of 'the rest which pass through them, thereby to hold the spouts the more firmly' seated in thenotches when the rotor is rotated' in one direction.

CLAIR V.: SWEARINGEN. 

